I just adjusted him to an 8. He is a very efficient commander for the points - a Rodian swarm is brutal (excuse the pun) for the cheap cost if you get the right meta. And I do think a Rebel Jarael build is something that hasn't really been explored post-Marn Hierogryph, but you can get a really nasty Jarael with Jarael + Ithorian + stolen CE. But maybe 9 was a little high.

Anyway, I don't think anyone's going to disagree with this rating....

R5 Astromech Droid, from Champions of the Force





For 8 points, all you get is Repair 10 - it's just not worth tying up 8 points in such a weak ability. The R5 can't do anything else - can't attack, can't combine fire, nothing. 1/10.

Clone Trooper with Night Vision, from Galaxy at War





I would deduct points for the terrible name, but the Clone Trooper with Night Vision is a 1 all the way in any case. A Sev is way better for 3 extra points, and it's not like that's any better than mediocre either. If you're paying 13 points for a 10 hit point piece, it better be spectacularly good (like the Czerka Scientist) - this is just jank.

For that matter, an ARF Trooper (from the same set) is way better for 2 less points. Accurate is an ability where the cost should scale with the quality of the piece. Regular Clone Troopers are so bad they aren't an appropriate benchmark for cost. I figure this guy is 8-9pts max.

Jank, indeed.

Grievous on Tsmeu-6 Wheel Bike, from Vehicles of War





I appreciate the big gallop and strafe pieces that came out in Vehicles of War - one of the main reasons that the Lancers are overpowered is that they're so fast with Speed 12 and the ability to be pawned. On the other hand, a beefy unique commander, who's subject to far less boosts, is a great idea - it adds another square to the wonderful patchwork quilt that is our game. There are all sorts of things going on with this Grievous:

- as a high hit point galloper, the closest comparison is Yoda on Kybuck. They play quite differently though - Yobuck is in a faction with movement breakers and has Speed 10, so he's good at getting all over the board. Grievous is in a faction that often has high activations, tempo control, and initiative control, so often he's about going last then going first.
- with the Vehicle mechanic, he can swap at the end of his turn for another Grievous - Hero of Hypori for some tough anti-Jedi action or Scourge of the Jedi, for a big hit on one piece while retaining the CE, are both strong options.
- if you build around his commander effect, you certainly need to keep him alive - double attack for non-unique droids is very useful, and you'll often see Grievous with BX Snipers.

It's a shame that Grievous is affected by Buzz Droids; as he seems fairly costed without this vulnerability, and he'd be a really good meta choice as he has a good chance against other popular yet disliked meta squads such as Daala and Klat Assassin swarms. But he's still a really good piece for the cost - it's nice to see some beefier swarm control pieces, as it adds some more diversity to the game. 8/10.

Oops, I overlooked that - just reworded it a little bit.

This Grievous is my favourite piece in the game and such a well designed piece. He also works very well with Tann and gets advanced shields from her, becoming even tougher. While buzz droids are annoying, I think he is the strafe/gallop piece least affected by them due to his damage reducing abilities and has allowed me to win tournaments utilizing his wide range and damage reducing power. Another thing to consider is that he is similar to Palleon in allowing you the choice of what to swap for. DAC for some board wide twin, Scourge for those with twin or single shot, or HoH to steal potential points from your opponent and lay down the Jedi hate. A very versatile piece and one of the best designed so far. I still wish Buzz droids only targeted non uniques but I suppose everyone needs it's counter.

Ponda Baba, Galactic Criminal, from Cantina Brawl





I think all of the Fringe bodyguards in the 10-15 point range are 8s - they all seem fairly costed for what they can do compared to each other, and of course bodyguard is a great Special Ability which can mess with your opponent's plans as you spread damage out in different ways. A 60 hit point bodyguard, who's also a decent fodder shooter with +6 attack, is a great deal for 15 points, and Ponda is well worth keeping in your Lobot reinforcements box. Sometimes you'll need more activations with your Lobot reinforcements, and will want the cheaper Human Bodyguard instead, but Ponda is still a very solid 8/10.

Rune Haako, from Battle of Theed





Rune Haako's a weird little tech piece - Distraction and Diplomat is an interesting combination that can make life very difficult for some squads. Because he's a piece who you don't build around - he's tech you throw in to fill out a squad - he feels like he's competing with 6 Geonosian Drones for a space in tournament Separatist squads, and the vast majority of the time you'll choose 6 Geonosian Drones over Rune. If you really need a Distraction piece you can bring one in with Lobot; 12 points is a lot to spend on a tech piece that may not be useful in some matchups. 10 points Gambit does improve his chances of table time - a 12 point Diplomat could be a good choice in some squads, - but overall Rune Haako is unlikely to see much play, 3/10.

Here's a summation of the ratings so far by set - there are enough ratings to make the numbers somewhat meaningful. According to the ratings, the four most power filled WOTC sets are Imperial Entanglements, Alliance and Empire, Galaxy at War, and Knights of the Old Republic, which seems fair enough. The set that has been underrepresented by good pieces is Clone Wars - none of the 13 highest rated pieces on Bloomilk, including staples like GGDAC, Yobuck, IG-86, Sidious Hologram, Captain Rex etc, have come up on random yet.

Average Rating by Set (the % indicates the percentage of the set rated, ignoring reprints)



Command of the Galaxy has an average rating of 8.7 so far - which doesn't surprise me, as there are a lot of powerful pieces in that set.

Tionne, from Armed and Operational





They don't all have to be Tier 1, and Tionne feels like a piece that is designed to introduce some interesting new builds to the New Republic, but not seriously challenge for tournament time. At 34 points, Tionne is a very weak fighter, with moderate stats and hit points, and no defensive abilities, and Distraction as her only real selling point as a combatant. But she is excellent at introducing force spirit options into New Republic builds.

- Light Tutor allows a non-force user to gain a force point - this can be useful to give a non-force user access to a force spirit. With Gantoris able to bring in Exar Kun DFS, you can give a fringe shooter like Dash Renegade Smuggler or Boba Assassin access to Sith Rage.
- She has rapport and affinity for Light Spirits - Qui-Gon Jinn, Force Spirit for Sense the Future or Anakin FS with her Mettle CE are both interesting options.
- Force Spirits gain an extra 2 Speed, allowing them to keep up a bit better - most force spirits are up to Speed 6 with his CE.

There probably are some interesting builds with non force-users getting access to Sith Rage with Tionne, but it's an expensive setup at 200 points, and it's probably not going to get competitive play. Pieces like Tionne are good designs though - not everything has to be at tournament level, and a piece like this that creates a bunch of interesting casual squads is good for the game. 6/10.